League transfer gossip: Rotherham's former Pompey striker Michael Smith set for Championship as Charlton prepare to axe trio and Morecambe explain head of recruitment's shock exit

Smith in Championship next season is ‘no-brainer’

Former Pompey striker Michael Smith will be playing Championship football next season.

That’s the verdict of the Daily Mirror’s Darren Witcoop, who believes the 30-year-old won’t be short of takers this summer.

Smith, who Blues boss Danny Cowley often refers to as the best forward in League One, is in the final months of his Millers contract – although Paul Warne’s side have a 12-month option on the player.

That hasn’t stopped the promotion-chasers fearing the worst and seeing their 25-goal talisman seeking a new challenge at the end of the campaign.

And according to Witcoop, that nightmare is likely to come true, with interest in Smith growing.

He tweeted: ‘It’s a no brainer but Rotherham striker Michael Smith will be in the Championship next season.

‘Interest has been there for a while and growing. Last chance of a payday move given he turns 31 in October.’

Rotherham will hope that Championship football will be with them, with the Millers currently second in the table – on goal difference ahead of MK Dons – with three games remaining.

Smith, who joined the New York Stadium side from Bury in 2018, has scored 61 goals in 207 appearances for Rotherham.

The forward netted 11 goals in 37 outings for the Blues.

Charlton to axe experienced trio

Charlton are set to cut ties with experienced trio Ben Watson, Chris Gunter and Pape Souare at the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Addicks boss Johnnie Jackson has revealed the club is still to offer new deals to other senior members of his squad whose deals are set to expire in the coming weeks.

That includes 11-goal striker Conor Washington, former Pompey defender Jason Pearce, Jake Forster-Caskey, Ryan Inniss and Ben Purrington,

Jackson told Londonewsonline: ‘Nothing has been offered out yet but they’re ongoing discussions.

‘I don’t deal with that side of it. We talk about the ones that we like, that we want to keep around the place and then it’s obviously over to the people above to decide how that looks exactly – how those negotiations and discussions take place. That’s an ongoing thing.’

Regardless of those talks, 36-year-old Watson is expected to be axed and will announce his retirement from football after making just nine appearances for Charlton this summer.

Gunter, 32, hasn’t featured since mid-March and has failed out of favour after making 17 league starts this term, while 31-year-old Souare hasn’t played in League One since December, despite only arriving on a free transfer from Troyes in September.

Adams reveals reason behind Foyle’s Morecambe departure

Morecambe boss Derek Adams has revealed head of recruitment Martin Foyle has left the Mazuma Stadium to pursue ‘an opportunity elsewhere’.

It was announced on Wednesday that the former Southampton. Oxford and Port Vale forward was leaving the Shrimps after less than six months in the role.

Now Adams has said the 58-year-old has another club already lined up after serving a period of notice at Morecambe.

He told the Lancaster Guardian: ‘Martin handed in his notice at the beginning of March, so he was working that period.

‘The club and himself came to a compromise agreement and it’s allowed him to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.

‘The club had paid compensation to Northampton for him, which is disappointing because he’s only been here for a short space of time.

‘However, he’s got an opportunity somewhere else and he wants to go, so that allows us to decide where we go.’